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FIFA 21 Free PS5 and Xbox Series X/S Update Has Begun Rolling Out

fifa 21

FIFA 21 is one of several games getting an upgrade on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, but though its next-gen upgrade was supposed to roll out on December 4, which is tomorrow, it seems that update has started rolling out a little early.

Over on Twitter, EA Sports have confirmed that "most players" who purchased the game on PS4 and Xbox One can now download the game's PS5 and Xbox Series X/S update respectively for free via EA's Dual Entitlement program. EA says that while the update has rolled out for many players, it will be available worldwide starting tomorrow.

On the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, FIFA 21 sports various visual and technical enhancements, while on the PS5, the game also makes use of the console's Activity cards feature, as well as the DualSense's adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. Sadly, the same upgrades won't be coming to the game's PC version.

Currently, FIFA 21 is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (and on Nintendo Switch as a Legacy Edition release). A Stadia release is also planned, but doesn't yet have a launch date. You can read our review of the game's PS4/Xbox One/PC version through here.

Watch Dogs: Legion Update Fixes "Super Game Over" Issue

Watch Dogs Legion

Ubisoft has a new title update for Watch Dogs: Legion which fixes a number of bugs and crashes. Among the key issues it resolves include one that let players change the difficulty and options for permadeath from the main menu. It also fixes an issue referred to as a "Super Game Over" where after getting a Game Over in permadeath, there would be no player characters spawned when beginning a new game.

An exploit that allowed players to open an ETO safe continuously to receive huge amounts of cash has also been fixed. Interestingly, despite planning it for early December, there doesn't seem to be a fix for save issues. Several weeks ago, Xbox Series X players reported losing progress which mirrors an issue that PC players had for a while.

The current title update does make "further optimizations" to save games on Xbox One, PS4 and PC to reduce the likelihood of corruption and lost progression. This suggests that the issue hasn't been fully fixed on those platforms either. We'll need to wait for more information in the meantime.

Watch Dogs: Legion is currently available for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Google Stadia. Watch Dogs Online, a free multiplayer update slated to release this week, has been pushed to early 2021.

Global

  • Fixed an issue that allowed players to change game difficulty and permadeath options while in the main menu.
  • Fixed an issue where a black screen could occur when opening the door to hidden rooms.
  • Super Game Over: Fixed an issue where, after getting Game Over in Permadeath Mode, players would spawn without any player characters when starting a new game.
  • Players can no longer defy space and time to open an ETO safe an infinite amount of times.

PC

  • Fixed an issue where operatives would sometimes fall through the water on builds with AMD GPUs.
  • Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on saving after exiting the game.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when loading the team menu.
  • Fixed a crash that might occur when using the inventory.
  • Fixed an issue where lightning could get overblown during the day.
  • Optimized loading time when quitting to the main menu.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when the game autodetected input devices.
  • Fixed an out of memory crash.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when enabling or disabling Ray Tracing.
  • Further optimizations made to save games to reduce the likelihood of corruption and lost progression.

The Division 2 is Getting a 4K/60 FPS Update for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S

the division 2

In addition to having released three major cross-gen games in quick succession over the last month and a half, Ubisoft have also been updating some of their more successful titles for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, including the likes of Rainbow Six Siege and For Honor. The Division 2 is yet another one of their ongoing service titles, but though the game is, of course, playable on the new consoles via backward compatibility, it hasn't received any enhancements yet.

Well, that'll be changing soon. Developers Ubisoft Massive confirmed in their most recent State of Play stream that when The Division 2's Title Update 12.1 arrives on February 2, 2021, it will also add support for 4K and 60 FPS to the game for those who play it on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Of course, the 4K update won't be applicable on the Xbox Series S, and Ubisoft haven't talked about what exactly owners of the console should expect yet. Those details should hopefully arrive soon.

The developers also clarified during the stream that the aforementioned update won't be a dedicated optimization patch, only that it will add 4K and 60 FPS support, which is something fans of the game have been asking for for some time.

Currently, The Division 2 – and its expansion Warlords of New York – are currently available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.

Resident Evil Revelations 3 Might be in the Works – What Should We Expect?

Resident Evil Revelations has proven to take what was an amusing throwback to the style of RE4 and turn it into its own bonafide spin-off series for the franchise with its own canon storylines and meaningful contributions to the series as a whole by filling in many of the gaps between previous games. As such, and with the second Resident Evil Revelations also doing quite well by all accounts, a new rumor has surfaced that claims a third entry of the tangential series is purportedly in development. The rumor comes from none other than @aestheticgamer1, who has a nearly spotless record when it comes to confirming rumors and predicting upcoming projects.

Here are a few things we can likely expect from Resident Evil Revelations 3 once – and if – it's confirmed.

Something that immediately comes to mind is the location of with the window that a third Resident Evil Revelations would be released in. With the eighth mainline entry to the series on the way next and a movie reboot also coming sometime within the next year or so, it's hard to think a third Revelations would be launched anytime in 2021. It's certainly possible, but if there's one thing that the Resident Evil 3 remake taught Capcom, it's that cannibalizing your audience with too many games within too short of a time period can be detrimental to the success of said game and potentially lead to burnout. It also hopefully taught Capcom that a Resident Evil game needs to take its time in the oven and avoid feeling rushed or half-baked in any way. given how well Resident Evil 7 turned out it's unlikely that Resident Evil 8 we'll have any such issue.

But a smaller spinoff title like Resident Evil Revelations 3 could be vulnerable to that sort of thing if Capcom tries too hard to squeeze it into a time frame that comes too soon for any reason. So if nothing else Capcom needs to take their time with Resident Evil Revelations 3 and make sure it's as long as it needs to be and as well optimized as it needs to be for whatever systems at launches on. Given that, and the fact that Capcom is one of the more nimble publishers out there these days, I would say we're probably looking at mid to late 2022 for a release of this game and if it comes any sooner than that then I would tread carefully as a consumer looking to buy it for full price.

Speaking of different platforms on which Revelations 3 could be on, there's a few different directions this game could go. Will they lean on the inevitable success of next-generation consoles by launching on those and taking advantage of all of the extra power they provide?  Or will they play it safe and launched on the PS4, Xbox One, and the Switch? It's also possible that they try to launch on everything with a somewhat leaner game but they can scale up to the bigger systems later on.

resident evil revelations 2 xbox one

I think it's a fair assumption that the Switch will be heavily involved with Resident Evil Revelations 3 and it could even be the focal point of the game given that the series started on the 3DS and pretty much owes the foothold that they found with fans to Nintendo and the 3DS. Some sources have speculated roughly the same idea and I think it's fair to suspect that Resident Evil Revelations 3 will likely be designed around the switch and scaled up as needed for more powerful systems. Depending on how well it does we may or may not get a PS5 and Xbox Series X version a little further down the road, as Capcom will probably continue to support Resident Evil 8 with patches and DLC well into 2022, much like they did with Resident Evil 7 long after its launch.

It's also entirely possible that Resident Evil Revelations sticks with the episodic approach that the second one took. This would probably be to the dismay of many but that is sort of what Revelations 2 was known for and helped that stand out in a way, as something that was a little bit different from everything else Resident Evil was and even is doing. This is one that I hope I'm wrong on but I think it's entirely possible that Resident Evil Revelations 3 comes out in episodes that can be purchased one at a time or later on as an entire package but we'll have to wait and see on that one. I would also expect the gameplay to largely stick to what the first two Revelation games did well with their RE4 style of shooting and other gameplay loops. Hopefully, including the excellent co-op that benefitted the second game so much.

Story and setting details are of course non-existent at this point but given the track record of the first 2 Revelations games it's extremely likely that we'll see more of what they did with Barry Burton, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, and hopefully more of the Redfields. In this way Resident Evil Revelations is taking on more of a role of the old school Resident Evil feel while the main series is moving on in its new first person horror direction. This trend with Revelations and the main series is likely to continue with Revelations 3 playing more and more like Resident Evil 4 and 5 for those who want more of that and leaving Resident Evil 8 to continue down its road that began with Resident Evil 7 back in 2017.

Scagdead - Resident Evil Revelations

Given that the existence of Resident Evil Revelations 3 is still technically a rumor, obviously everybody should take this with a grain of salt. maybe less of a grain of salt in other rumors as the existence of this game makes total sense in a number of ways, until it's confirmed and more details are revealed it's going to be tough to come up with more than what we already have. Odds are Resident Evil Revelations 3 is going to continue to fill a role in the series that many people enjoy. not quite the original classic feel of the PlayStation 1 games but still classic enough to remind one of why Resident Evil 4 and 5 were loved by so many. There may never be a big reason to choose Revelations over a mainline Resident Evil game as they are splintering in their own directions and both proving to be worthy of our attention, but it is clear that Revelations is trying its best to stay in its own lane and do its own thing.

For that, any Resident Evil fan should definitely be thankful, as the series has proven itself to be worth looking at through a variety of different lenses. From the remakes of the originals,  the modern games and everything in between most of what Resident Evil has tried has worked so we should be more than confident that Revelations 3 is in good hands and no matter how they decide to change it or what they decide to stick to, anybody who enjoys a good Resident Evil game has plenty of reason to be excited about Revelations 3 as we all await a confirmation and more details to sink our teeth into. And as always once that happens will be there to dissect and analyze it all for you.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Sea Of Thieves Moving To Season-Based Updates With New Progression System And Plunder Pass

It's hard to believe, but when Microsoft and Rare launched Sea of Thieves 2 years ago, there really wasn't much to it with maybe its most noteworthy aspect being the first Microsoft title to release on Game Pass day and date as the regular launch. But slowly, the two built on the title and it's been successful with lots of players coming to the open seas. Now big changes are coming.

In a big news update for the game, Rare has announced that 2020 was a huge time for Sea of Thieves, seeing 11 million unique players with the player base being split pretty evenly consoles and PC. With this new success, the game will be moving to season-based updates with a Plunder Pass, a Battle Pass system with rewards that will be tied into a revamped progression system that will have 100 levels and a series of trials and rewards. Roughly every three months they plan to have a major update with a live event happening monthly. You can hear full details below.

Sea of Thieves is available now on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC. For the enhancements to the next generation console versions, you can read through here.

Medal Of Honor: Above And Beyond Highlights Multiplayer In New Video

Medal of Honor - Above and Beyond

It's been many years now since the last Medal of Honor title. Now EA and Respawn Entertainment are looking to revive it with the VR title, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. It will once again see you in the midst of World War 2, and we have seen quite a lot of the game's single player campaign. It will also have a multiplayer aspect, too, which got highlighted today.

The new video from the developer shows several aspects of the game's multiplayer, disconnected floating arms and all. It will have five modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Blast Radius, Mad Bomber and Domination. It looks to have a surprising amount of depth and the multiplayer scene for VR isn't too big as of now, so it's no doubt a welcome addition to look out for.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is set to release on PC December 11th and will have support for Steam VR, meaning it'll have support for most major PC VR headsets such as Oculus, HTC Vive and Valve Index.

Microsoft CEO Reaffirms Dedication And Focus To Gaming And Xbox

xbox logo

Ever since the launch of the original Xbox in 2001, Microsoft has remained as one of the three platform holders in the gaming industry. Their strategy has evolved since then a good deal, focusing more on subscriptions and services while branching out beyond dedicated devices, though they are still launching those with the recently released Xbox Series X/S. If you think they're going anywhere, well, think again.

In the most recent Annual Shareholders meeting, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was asked about the Xbox division and how the company viewed its gaming focus going forward. Nadella made it pretty clear that the company remained dedicated to Xbox and gaming in general. He points to the recent acquisition of Zenimax/Bethesda as well as the successful launch of the new systems mentioned above as examples of how much resources they are pooling towards the division (big thanks to Seeking Alpha for transcribing). 

"First thing, we're very excited about the new console launches in the market. We always have sort of focused on ensuring that our gamer community, that counts on us to produce the best consoles, has a new generation of consoles, which are powerful and, you know, really great for gameplay. And we are supporting it with the best content and with the best community.

"But the broader vision we have is to ensure that the 3 billion gamers out there are able to play their games anywhere they want with all the content they want and with whom they want to and that's really what we are building our strategy around. You've seen us double our content portfolio with the ZeniMax acquisition.

"You see us make advances in our community efforts and our subscription offers with Game Pass. And that's what you can expect from us. We are absolutely very, very much focused on gaming, and ensuring that all the 3 billion gamers around the world get the best content, best community, and the best cloud services to power their gaming experiences going forward."

It's interesting, especially when you consider that Microsoft was apparently not nearly as dedicated to gaming and Xbox after the underperformance of the Xbox One as recounted by Phil Spencer. Even though their dedication to specific boxes may wane with time, Microsoft seems to be pretty all in still on the gaming side and Xbox as a brand going forward.

 

 

CD Projekt RED Asks That You Don't Stream Your Early Copies Of Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077_16

After about half a decade of being talked about and several high profile delays it seems as it's finally time for Cyberpunk 2077 to release. Like, for real this time, it seems the game is finally coming out next week. It also seems as if physical copies of the game have already been shipped out to some regions and well, you may or may not be aware, but the full game is out there. It is what it is and, unfortunately, tends to happen, but the developer hopes you'll display some self-restraint.

In a post on the official Twitter, the company reminds people that streams are not supposed to go up until December 9th, one day before the official release date. They kindly ask that you don't stream your copy if you managed to somehow get a physical copy of the PS4 or Xbox One version of the game. If you aren't aware, there are already full playthroughs of the main storyline out there, so while the kind ask is nice on CDPR's part and all, if you really don't want to be spoiled on the game, it's best to stay away from the internet as much as possible this week.

Cyberpunk 2077 is set to release December 10th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia. The game will also get a native PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version later down the road, which you can read more about through here.

God Of War's Kratos Is Apparently Coming To Fortnite

Fortnite_02

One of the biggest games in the world, in a strange way, doesn't even feel like a game nowadays. Or maybe it's better to say that it feels like more than a game since it has evolved to become something of a multimedia hub. For instance, the last event that amassed millions of players in Fortnite was Marvel-themed, and the title has been at the cross-section of tons of similar promotions of that nature. Now it seems like they are going to another, this time maybe Sony exclusive.

Via the official PlayStation Twitter, a transmission was listed as coming from Fortnite. It's obvious that God of War is what's being referenced, but then the PS Store actually leaked upcoming skins and weapons based on that franchise's main protagonist, Kratos. They have since been taken down, but you can check them out at the ResetERA gaming forum through here.

Considering God of War is a first party Sony series and that this was posted from a PlayStation Twitter account, it most likely will mean the crossover material will only be available on the PS4 and PS5 versions of Fortnite, though I guess anything is possible. We should know fairly soon, so stayed tuned.

Dauntless – Reforged Out Today, Overhauls Progression and Adds Hunting Grounds

Dauntless - Reforged

Phoenix Labs' Dauntless has done well for itself since release with numerous updates and new Behemoths added since launch. However, the developer is looking to massively overhaul things with Dauntless – Reforged. Check out the trailer below to see it in action.

Among the changes with Reforged is the Slayer's Path which offers a new progression system for players.  Rams and merits can be used to unlock each milestone as players define their own path. Gear progression has also been revamped, providing a tier system instead of incremental upgrades. It also brings weapon skill levels, power surging and reforging for further power gains.

There's also the new Hunting Grounds which offers 18 different islands to explore and numerous Behemoths to fight. The idea is to offer an "endless stream of action and activities" with treasure, flora and fauna and much more to see. Dauntless – Reforged goes live today along with the new Cold Front Hunt Pass that adds two new armor skin sets and rumor quest chains.